Lay a flagstone walkway or path

Setting the stone is the fun part; preparing a solid base first will make the walk last.

 

Plan and prepare

The best oath from the front door to the street or driveway is not the only thing to consider when planning a walk, but it is the first thing. When planning the course for the walk, think about the path you would take.

Use marking paint to mark the perimeter of the proposed walk to give you the chance to see how it will look with the landscape and the house.

Install the base

A proper base keeps the stone in place by providing a stable surface to lay the stone on and by draining water away from the stone to prevent movement. The depth of the base will vary from 150 to 300mm, depending on the surrounding soils.

The good base should consist of:
- 150mm gravel to promote drainage is poor soils
- Filter fabric to hold the sand bed
- Sand compacts the support the flagstone and prevents the sand from filtering into the gravel base.

Install the base by laying the material a little at a time and tamping each layer to be sure that it is compacted from top to bottom. The surface of the gravel will appear compacted after one pass, but continue to tamp the entire walk at least two more times. Use a petrol-powered tamper (available at hire stores) for large areas, and a hand tamper for smaller areas and corners.

Once the gravel is laid and compacted, the filter fabric is easy to cut with a Stanley knife, but have some rocks on hand on a windy day to hold the fabric down until you put in the first layer of sand.

Laying the flagstone

Flagstone, as with all natural stone products, vary in thickness and quality, and time spent in selecting flagstones will be more than made up with the time you save laying them. Look for flat, square-cornered stones with no cracks. Avoid stones thinner than 25mm.

Adjust the base with a trowel as you go along so that the entire bottom of the stone is in contact with the sand bed. Then use a spirit level to check that the top is level and flush with adjacent stones.

Make small adjustments without picking up the stone. A hammer and a block of wood, or a large rubber mallet, make is easy to lower stones without picking them up. Pounding on the stone also tamps any sand you have added while laying the stone.

Pack sand under and between the stones. The stones need to be sitting in plenty of send. Use a trowel and chisel to work sand in around the edges. When the walk is complete, repeat this process for the seams to keep the stones from twisting.

Cutting stone to fit

There are three ways to cut natural stone:

- Renting a saw is a good idea when a lot of cutting is involved. With a diamond blade, make the cut in at least two passes, and wet the stone to keep it and the blade from overheating.

- Another way to cut stone is to score it with an abrasive, or masonry blade, and snap it with a hammer and chisel. Make the score deep at the edges, and then chisel the kerf, working your way across the stone until it snaps.

- The last method for cutting stone is with an industrial-model angle grinder. You can hire this on a daily basis from most hire shops. A couple of passes is all that is needed to cut stone.

The last step in laying a walk is to fill the seams with sand. Most people simply sweep sand into the seams, but it is recommended to work the sand into the seams with a trowel.